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Supersapiens, powered by Abbott's Libre Sense Glucose Sport Biosensor, announced the appointment of five members to its board of directors: Pam Alexander, Chris Belli, Carl Bilbo, Alain Brouhard, and Phil Southerland. The directors unanimously elected Brouhard as its Chairman of the Board. The US-based company recently announced its initial funding of $13.5 million. With a cap table of investors, operators and professional athletes who reflect and inform its vision and strategy, Supersapiens is ideally positioned to expand its market in the US and worldwide.

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In announcing the election of Chairman, Supersapiens' CEO and Founder Phil Southerland made the following statement:

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"Alain Brouhard is a forward-thinking, experienced executive with tremendous knowledge across the full spectrum of business - from leading major corporations in the sports world to guiding start-ups from conception to notable success. His experience, skill, and vision will be invaluable to Supersapiens as we continue to educate athletes on how they can utilize our ecosystem to personalize their nutrition strategies and help them achieve their goals. In addition, Alain has challenged me to think bigger, which has compelled us to broaden our vision and strive to make Supersapiens even more impactful than our initial idea. At Supersapiens, we are dedicated to making a mark on both our individual consumer and the industry at large."

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Mr. Brouhard assumes the role of Supersapiens Board Chair as the company experiences exponential growth and further fundraising to accelerate marketing expansion. In response to his appointment, he made the following statement:

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"I first met Phil via the Swiss Startup Group and was emotionally touched by his personal story of resilience and performance. I was then convinced by and wanted to actively contribute to Supersapiens' vision of becoming the most important sports brand of the decade and Supersapiens' mission of getting the world active and becoming better. With leading-edge technology, a unique Abbott partnership, in-depth science knowledge and outstanding sports assets, Supersapiens has what it takes to become the leading and most innovative performance brand on the markets."

XP League, the first esports franchise in North America, is gearing up to host its 2022 North American Finals at the Full Sail University Orlando Health Fortress Esports Arena and Full Sail Live Venue, June 25 -26, 2022. In partnership with Full Sail University, the top 48 XP League teams, coaches, franchise owners and families will come together for the largest in-person youth esports tournament in North America.

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The event kicks off Saturday, June 25 at 8 a.m. with a welcoming ceremony for players, teams, coaches, and parents. The ceremony will be opening the day's tournament events where play begins promptly at 9 a.m. The second and final day of the tournament is on Sunday, June 26 with play beginning at 9 a.m. and concluding the weekend's event with the closing and trophy ceremony. The event will be live-streamed at https://www.twitch.tv/xpleague.

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In partnering with Full Sail University, the weekend's events will include regularly scheduled tours where families can learn more about its award-winning education program in esports, entertainment, media, arts and technology. In celebration of the finals, XP League is offering participants, families, and guests discounted attraction tickets to Universal Studios and food trucks, vendor booths with mementos, player gear and merch will be available throughout the weekend.

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CEO and co-founder, Jay Melamed created XP League after seeing his own children's range of interest in traditional youth sports and unified love for video games. He soon realized the lack of structure and guidance in esports and decided to blend concepts of traditional youth sports with video games.

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"We are so excited to host this tremendous event for all our players and their families. There's nowhere else kids can experience this sort of in-person competition that makes them truly feel like a professional gamer with all of the hype that comes with a huge national event like this," said Melamed.

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Launched in 2020, XP League offers a nine-week seasonal program including one practice and one match a week. Each team is led by a coach who focuses on teaching resiliency, teamwork and sportsmanship in addition to gaming skills to elementary, middle and high school students. By integrating these values into the core format of its programming, kids see the positive reward as an exciting part of the overall experience.

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XP League is the first esports organization to officially partner with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), where its coaches are Double-Goal certified and set a standard for competitive youth gaming. Since its start in 2020, XP League has grown to more than 30 franchised locations across the country and in April 2022 was acquired by Unleashed Brands, the fast-growing parent company of youth enrichment franchise brands, including Urban Air Adventure Park, The Little Gym, Snapology, Premier Martial Arts and Class 101.

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For more information about XP League and its upcoming 2022 North American Finals, visit https://www.xpleague.com/.

Talkmap, a leading provider of Conversational Intelligence solutions, today announced it has been named in the May 2022 report titled, Cool Vendors in Conversational and Natural Language Technology. This Gartner Cool Vendor research is "designed to highlight interesting, new and innovative vendors, products and services in Conversational and Natural Language Technology."

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The report states, "Most enterprises are realizing that they need to be laser focused on the customer and that real-time customer conversations are the best source of this insight. These ongoing interactions contain valuable and timely insights that identify issues and opportunities for the company to improve both its products and its customer engagement."

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"We consider our inclusion in this Cool Vendors in Conversational and Natural Language Technology report as a confirmation of our mission to enable companies to unlock the single-most valuable, timely, and robust untapped asset in enterprises today…real-time conversations with customers," said Tim Moss, CEO of Talkmap.  "These customers have just experienced something so important about a company's offering that they stopped their busy lives to spend on average 6+ minutes telling an agent everything that's important to them about it, including what's working, what's not, and why…this is the game-changing visibility brands need to transform their CX, EX, operations, and automation."

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Talkmap's AI-powered machine learning, with conversational understanding- analyzes, labels, structures, organizes, and visualizes 100% of calls and chats to give leaders the game-changing visibility they need with the volume, speed, and scale to make it actionable. Unlocking this insight as it happens is transforming how the world's largest companies are making decisions.

Connecticut Mold has recently announced that it is expanding its service locations. It is now offering mold removal and remediation services in Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, and New Canaan. Connecticut Mold's goal is to provide the highest quality mold removal and remediation services possible to ensure the safety of its customers' homes and businesses.

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Connecticut Mold Expands Its Comprehensive Mold Removal Service
Connecticut Mold is a certified mold removal and remediation company. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and is a member of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association. Connecticut Mold's professional technicians have combined decades of experience, and are well-qualified at handling all types of black mold — including dangerous variants such as black mold.

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Professional, Friendly, and Local Mold Mitigation Services
Homeowners in these new service regions can connect with Connecticut Mold for mold removal, mold remediation, and mold testing services.

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Mold Removal
Connecticut Mold offers a wide range of mold removal services, including surface cleaning, negative air pressure containment, and HEPA vacuuming. Once the mold has been removed, Connecticut Mold can help remediate the affected areas to prevent return.

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Mold Remediation
Mold remediation is the process of cleaning and repairing surfaces that have been damaged by mold. Connecticut Mold's professional technicians are experienced in all facets of mold remediation and will work diligently to restore your home or business to its pre-mold condition.

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Mold Testing
Homeowners can also connect with Connecticut Mold for mold testing services. Mold testing is an important part of the mold removal process, as it can help identify the type of mold present and the best course of action for removal.

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Connect With Connecticut Mold Today
Connecticut Mold Remediation is looking forward to helping homeowners in its new service ranges maintain a healthy, mold-free environment. For more information about Connecticut Mold or to schedule a free mold inspection, please visit their website.

Passport, a transportation software and payments company, continues to expand its product offering to new and existing clients during the first half of 2022. Denver, Colo., Sound Transit, Wash. and Thunder Bay, Ontario are newly added to the Company's client roster.

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The Charlotte-based Company provides all customers with a powerful platform that not only assimilates and aggregates all of a city's parking, enforcement and digital permitting data into one central location, but also integrates additional data insights with embedded payments capabilities. Customers are able to manage a broad array of mobility management complexities in one place to make smart, data driven decisions that improve their overall operations at the curb.

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CEO David Evans explains that everything Passport does is in support of creating more livable and equitable communities. "We are dedicated to providing our clients with the data and insights they need to make their streets safer and their curbs easier to manage," says Evans.

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First half wins include the Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC), located in Lincoln, Neb. The NIC selected Passport to manage their complete parking operations and has launched mobile pay parking, enforcement, digital permitting and payments. The parking manager for NIC can now access insights and data via Passport's platform and provide a better user experience for its parkers as well as drive higher parking compliance rates.  

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Another client, Kansas City, Mo., is partnering with Passport on a brand refresh to their mobile pay application, PARK KC, as a means to continue to drive adoption and provide a frictionless parking experience throughout the City.

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"Because of our partnership with Passport, we continue to bring innovative technology to our streets," says Kansas City Parking Division Manager, Matthew Muckenthaler. "The data and insights we are able to get from Passport's platform allows us to make more informed decisions at the curb so we can operate more efficiently and optimize the user experience."

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Passport's platform is helping more than 800 municipalities, universities and private operators streamline their parking operations and use mobility data to increase revenue, decrease costs and provide better user experiences. The company has processed more than $2B in mobility payments and counting. To learn more about how Passport is transforming parking and mobility management, visit the company website.

Parks Associates research reveals consumer interest in renewables is growing stronger—56% of US internet households would select renewables as an energy source if costs were the same and 36% say they would pay more to use power from renewable sources. The webinar "Smart Home Energy Solutions: Making a Complex Future Simple" on Thursday, June 28, features Parks Associates research and insights from Schneider Electric on how to help consumers coordinate and diversify their energy usage.

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A series of events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Eastern Europe, have created extreme volatility in the oil and gas markets, which is driving demand for alternatives.

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"With different sources now serving energy to the home and services such as on-demand pricing becoming more common, the energy sector is more complex," said Chris White, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. "Energy product manufacturers, builders, and utilities have an opportunity and a challenge to help consumers handle these issues. More effort and education are needed to make these emerging solutions easy to use and to inform households about the options available to them."

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Parks Associates research shows 45% of broadband households made energy-saving renovations or added major energy devices in 2021, which is an all-time high. While smart thermostat adoption has been flat the past few years, consumers are receptive to the benefits of solar panels, including nearly half (44%) who value the savings and one-third (34%) who value the energy independence.

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"We have seen a shift in consumer needs with more people working from home, and their reliance on resilient home energy has become a greater priority," said Brad Wills, Director, Strategic Customers & Programs, Schneider Electric. "They recognize that this increase in time spent at home is increasing their energy use and, in turn, their costs and carbon footprint. As the desire for more sustainable energy models grows, consumers are seeking new technologies coming to market, transitioning from smart home convenience to a greater focus on smart, sustainable home innovation."

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The webinar features industry discussion addressing new tools and solutions available to US consumers, including energy management, solar, and macro-level trends impacting the electrification of the home. Speakers:

• Christopher Keefe, Director, Offer Management & Strategy, Schneider Electric
• Brad Wills, Director, Strategic Customers & Programs, Schneider Electric
• Chris White, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates

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All media are invited to attend. Register at https://www.parksassociates.com/routethis-june2022. To request data or an interview, contact Rosey Sera at rosey@parksassociates.com or 972-490-1113.

Stord, the Cloud Supply Chain leader, announced expanded warehouse capacity in three key U.S. markets to meet increased demand amid record-low vacancy rates. The move also marks progress towards Stord's mission of making supply chain a competitive advantage with best-in-class port-to-porch logistics combined with the integrated technology that brands need to connect, orchestrate, and optimize their supply chains.

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The expansion includes 780,000 square feet of new warehouse space in regions where availability is scarce: Las Vegas, Nevada; Reno, Nevada; and New Haven, Connecticut—three of six nodes in Stord's first-party fulfillment network. Combined with more than 1,000 integrated partner facilities across the U.S. Stord's network reaches over 99% of consumers in two days or less via cost-effective ground shipping, made possible by strategic positioning and intelligent routing.

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Despite ever-rising consumer expectations and increasingly complex supply chains, brands have yet to solve the challenges posed by disparate logistics partners and disconnected technologies—slowing growth, hindering customer experience, and creating massive operational burdens. Increasing capacity is a strategic step in enabling fully-integrated, infinitely-elastic, and consistently-optimized supply chains for every brand, via Cloud Supply Chain.

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"Our vision is to make best-in-class logistics a plug-and-play, scalable utility for brands. We're leading a paradigm shift from disparate and disconnected supply chain operations to Cloud Supply Chain, much like how cloud computing disrupted the slow and cumbersome build-it-yourself enterprise IT strategy," said co-founder and CEO of Stord, Sean Henry. "For this vision to be possible, Stord must be ahead of the curve with capacity and able to meet customer needs, even when capacity is sparse. These strategic investments ensure that we remain ahead and capable of fulfilling our vision of Cloud Supply Chain."

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The new warehouses are currently open, fully functional, and already serving customers. This positions Stord and its customers for success in advance of the 2022 peak holiday season. Stord is hiring for several positions in each facility, and expects to create significant new jobs across Nevada and Connecticut in the coming years.

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Today's announcement underscores Stord's continued momentum and comes just one month after the company extended its Series D round to over $200M in funding at a valuation of $1.3B with a new investment led by Franklin Templeton. The company has a strong balance sheet as customers continue to invest in the technology and logistics solutions they need to meet consumer expectations and fuel growth.

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To learn more about Stord's Cloud Supply Chain approach, visit stord.com.

Conterra Ultra Broadband Holdings, Inc. ("Conterra Networks") today announced its continued investment in fiber network growth across Union County with its initial investment of $9.6 million and an additional estimated $12.7 million expected over 5 years.

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Conterra Networks designed and built its 100% fiber network with symmetrical service and speeds of up to 10 Gbps and 99.99% network reliability. The company's local team manages the all-fiber network, which is now available to approximately 1,528 Union County businesses and growing.

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"We continue to prioritize the communities we serve by investing in local network infrastructure," said Craig Gunderson, President and CEO of Conterra Networks. "This investment is critical to the growth in Union County. With the ever-increasing business connectivity requirements, we are always committed to enabling limitless communications opportunities for our customers by providing access to custom-designed, ultra-high-capacity broadband networks."

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Conterra Networks is expanding and investing in communities in North Carolina, including Salisbury, Kannapolis, Jacksonville, Morehead City, Statesville, Hickory, Monroe, Waxhaw, Sanford, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Pinehurst, and Southern Pines.

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The expansion is part of the company's growing network infrastructure across the United States. To date, Conterra Networks has 13,250 fiber miles, 2,700 schools served, and over 7,500 on-net locations.

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To learn more about Conterra Networks and the expansion efforts in North Carolina, visit www.conterra.com.

Multifamily investment firm Red Summit Partners launched in the Dallas/Fort Worth market with five acquisitions in the metroplex since November 2021, with a total capitalization of $215 million. The acquisitions included four multifamily assets and one portfolio of 82 single family rental homes. The company targets acquisitions that have the potential for improvement in both renovations and improved institutional asset management.

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Ryan Akins, co-founder of Red Summit, summarizes the firm's philosophy. "The pandemic and its aftermath created disruption to the housing industry, from the standpoint of both regional trends and global capital markets.  It created some unique opportunities. We're excited about the disruption that the current interest rate environment is creating."  Red Summit currently has over $200 million of acquisitions in its pipeline.

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The company currently focuses on acquisitions in the major Texas Cities and will expand to other markets in the next 18 months. Red Summit's equity partners include both institutional groups and family offices. Red Summit's principal team includes industry veterans, including KC Kronbach, co-founder of Knightvest Residential, JR Bolos, former President and co-founder of United Renovations, and Ted Broadfoot, formerly Executive Vice President with Pinnacle.

Mass Luminosity, a global technology and experiential company, today announced Ruth Rhei has joined its team as Chief Financial Officer. Rhei is an experienced finance professional with extensive experience originating, structuring and syndicating credit facilities across a variety of sectors, including non-investment grade corporates, commodity finance, emerging markets, and special situations. At Mass Luminosity, Rhei will have a special focus on increasing enterprise value, capital preservation and cash flow management, in addition to proactively communicating with investors and financial stakeholders. She will be a trusted advisor to the CEO on value creation, optimizing key financial processes and business model development.

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“As the different subsidiaries and divisions of Mass Luminosity continue to increase in value, I cannot think of a better time to welcome Ruth to our executive team as Chief Financial Officer,” states Mass Luminosity Founder and CEO Angel Munoz. “Her deep understanding of financial transactions and her laser-sharp strategic thinking, coupled with a warm personality, fits perfectly with our executive team. She will be critical in the process of analyzing the diversity of opportunities that have been presented to us this year. We're thrilled to have her on our team.”

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Prior to joining Mass Luminosity, Rhei served as managing partner and principal at Arden Capital Management, a financial structuring firm established in 2020 to address the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis and the changing economic and commercial real estate conditions resulting from the market dislocation for an under-served clientele: regional/community banks, non-bank lenders, and their borrowers in the new economic climate.

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Rhei’s previous experience includes serving as the head of strategic lending in the Americas for Deutsche Bank TCA where she provided bespoke financing solutions for ultra-high net worth clients. Before Deutsche Bank, she was head of sourcing for Stabilis Capital Management, a New York-based distressed debt hedge fund. Rhei also spent seven years in Goldman Sachs’ Capital Markets and Special Situations group, 10 years with Citibank’s Fixed Income Group, and seven years at Societe Generale in Capital Markets and Commodity Finance. Rhei graduated from New York University with a degree in finance and information systems.

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“I am so excited to join Mass Luminosity’s accomplished and innovative team, and I look forward to unlocking amazing opportunities together and cultivating our growth potential,” Rhei said

Fun Team Events is set to co-host one of the first metaverse Pride Parades and Drag Queen Bingo Events in Virbela's new open campus on Thursday, June 30th, 2022 at 2PM ET. This event is open to all and gives individuals the opportunity to celebrate Pride Month and check out the metaverse space. Participants can also learn about notable stories and resources related to LGBTQ+ experiences through Virbela's Pride Month exhibit.

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"Virbela builds engaging experiences to inspire our community and drive education around important topics," said Sarah Segrest, VP of Community at Virbela. "Our Pride Month exhibit highlights the positive and celebrates success, while acknowledging the difficulties of past and present. We're excited to partner with Fun Team Events to bring this Pride Parade to life in the metaverse."

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"As a certified LGBT-owned business, Pride Month is such a special time for us. We're thrilled to partner with Virbela on this Pride Month celebration. Our team loves hosting events in the metaverse and we can't wait to share this fun experience with others in the community," said AJ Seliga, CEO, Fun Team Events.

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Everyone is welcome and newcomers can enter the metaverse earlier to get acclimated to the space and dress up their avatar ahead of the Virbela Pride Parade. There will be prizes for the "Most Fun and Fabulous" avatar and bingo game winners. San Francisco-based Drag Queen, Pollo Del Mar, will be the Grand Marshall for the Parade and will emcee the Pride Bingo Event on the Virbela beach after the parade.

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Sign up and get more information about the event here: https://future.virbela.com/metaverse-pride-parade

A huge win for green farming and gardening came on June 17. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit sided Friday with the Center for Food Safety (CFS) in rejecting the glyphosate registration decision, countering the original ruling that the toxic pesticide is safe for humans. The decision, overturning the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) assessment, suggests that farmers need to look at backup solutions as Roundup and Roundup Ready crops could become unavailable in the near future.

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"We are thrilled with the federal court's decision to reject glyphosate registration. It's time to fix agriculture." says David Dennis, founder and chairman of XtraGrow, the world's first premium-organic-certified all-purpose plant-based fertilizer. "This could very well be the end for Roundup, Monsanto's flagship weed killer and the most widely used pesticide in the world," he goes on to add.

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Actress Laura Dern told The Guardian, "We gotta all figure this out together, because otherwise we're not gonna have a home anymore." Dern is speaking of climate change because her new film, Jurassic Park: Dominion, is a vehicle for solutions to counter it. Soil remediation and farming/gardening practices are fundamental to addressing it, as indicated in the Woody Harrelson-narrated doc Kiss the Ground and by the April 21 National Resources Defense Council report that reveals the power of regenerative agriculture to make farmers, ranchers, and everyone else more resilient to a rapidly changing climate. Revolutionizing agriculture and the fertilizer industry, XtraGrow is an innovative new concept in soil nourishment, revitalizing soil and feeding plants using plants. XtraGrow is 100% natural organic, OMRI Listed, and contains the nourishment to turn dirt into soil while making other optimal ingredients in the soil more readily available to plants. For years, XtraGrow has been used by Master Gardeners, home gardeners, farmers & commercial producers with extraordinary growth and yield impacts. XtraGrow is being taken very seriously within the industry.

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In fact, it is being featured in a soil amendments and regenerative farming course by green farming and building education company DrivenVision. (www.DrivenVision.org)

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"In contrast to several leading industry suppliers, we have created a formulation that is entirely plant matter (no manure, and no chemicals) all-natural organics treated with mechanical processing methods. No chemicals are used in the processing or as ingredients" Dennis continued. Promoting microbial activity and assisting in providing proper aeration, XtraGrow yields are averaging a 350% increase over competing fertilizers, positioning the company to become a household name faster than plants using the product can grow.

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Organic food sales in the US reached $57.5 billion in 2021 experiencing an impressive compound annual growth rate of 4.6% over the previous year with continued growth in the horizon with analysts anticipating the organic food market will rise higher than its conventional counterparts next year.

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100% premium organic, 100% plant based, XtraGrow can be applied to any plant that is greater than two weeks old at any time of its life cycle, improving the organic component of the soil and allowing it to deliver more nutrition on a microscopic scale to the plants' root structure. Almost too good to be true "for it to be organic", positive testimonials are flooding the marketplace, with XtraGrow quickly becoming an industry favorite. Greater surface area on every leaf allows for more sunlight to be gathered. The plant is able to grow faster without limiting factors present in most soils and the results are dramatic.

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"As an American family-owned and operated company we are proud that our product is formulated with no added chemicals, no heavy metals, no industrial byproducts, no animal products, no manure and no compost", says Deborah Dennis, Lead Manager with XtraGrow and the face of the company's philanthropic arm, the XtraGrow Foundation, Inc. a recognized 501(c)3 that helps teach children about the benefits of Premium Organic Agriculture. She goes on to add "As a mom, being able to provide my children with herbs and produce that are of the highest quality, while at the same time supporting the nutritional needs of families across the nation, is priority number one on my list!"

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Considered by many to be "garden magic" XtraGrow is premium organic plant-based fertilizer at its best – now available at leading retailers across the nation and for direct-purchase at xtragrow.com/ref/39/

The newest addition to the Viva Casa family, Viva Casa Tulum Reposado is the perfect pairing for any cocktail and mixed drink. Viva Casa Reposado Tequila is unlike anything you have ever tasted, bringing you the extraordinary flavors only found from Tulum to Miami. With its fragrant notes of honey and vanilla, this authentic reposado tequila captures the essence of this traditional spirit. Viva Casa is a company that makes high-quality tequila affordable! They believe in giving you the best of both worlds by providing great flavor without breaking your wallet. With their distilled reposado tequila made from the extract of 100% blue agave plants, they have created one delicious spirit to mix into any cocktail or margarita for $30 per bottle. This tequila is a subtle, well-refined liquor, absolutely worth drinking on its own, or in any classic tequila cocktail.

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Looking for a vodka that's as wild and free as the ocean? Look no further than Viva Casa Ocean Vodka. This handcrafted, gluten-free vodka is made with corn and double filtered for a smooth, refreshing taste.

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Miami's newest craft distillery, Viva Casa is launching a new line of spirits this summer. This team of spirit crafters has been in the business of creating local liquors for over two years and now they are releasing their very own Ocean Vodka.  And now, Viva Casa has an Ocean Vodka that will be launching as early as July! The new Ocean Vodka is made with quality sourced ingredients including botanicals and local produce. Catch a vibe and toast with your favorite drink to a taste as crisp and clean as the ocean! Be wild and free!

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As the weather starts to heat up, so does the party scene in Miami. This summer, local distillery Viva Casa will launch their new Ocean Vodka. In addition to their reposado tequila, both of these handmade spirits will complement any gathering or event, providing the perfect base for a myriad of different cocktails. With summer right around the corner, these are products you won't want to miss out on! Stay tuned for more information. Cheers!

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Catch a vibe with us and toast to a taste of Tulum!  Visit www.vivacasa.co to order your very own bottle of Tulum Reposado Tequila or learn more about when you can find our newest spirit, Viva Casa Ocean Vodka.

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As a local Miami distillery, Viva Casa is committed to harnessing the flavors of Tulum, one of the most authentic and historic places in all of Mexico. With flavors of honey and vanilla, their reposado tequila is one of the most genuine representations of the handmade craftsmanship of spirits from this region. While Tulum is not known for its production of vodka, Viva Casa has implemented their expertise in spirit distillation and produced one of the finest Floridian vodkas you will ever find.

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As the summer months roll in and the weather in Miami heats up, so do the fiéstas and celebrations! Viva Casa has some of the best local, handcrafted spirits available for your casa. These are perfect for enjoying on the rocks or neat, as well as making the most complimentary ingredient to classic cocktail favorites. Visit us online to shop, learn more, and be notified of updates on the release of Viva Casa Ocean Vodka. ¡Salud!

Fieldpoint Private, the fast-growing private banking firm serving entrepreneurs, families, businesses and institutions, announced the appointment of industry veteran Brent Yamaato as Chief Operating Officer. Yamaato joins Fieldpoint Private after more than 25 years of industry experience with Truist (formerly SunTrust) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

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“The addition of a financial services veteran with Brent’s deep private banking experience further demonstrates our commitment to hire seasoned industry experts as we expand our presence across the East Coast and Southeast,” said Russ Holland, President and CEO of Fieldpoint Private. “As a highly-respected leader with a reputation for delivering innovative organizational transformation, he will continue to enhance our ability to deliver the high-touch service our clients expect.”

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The firm has emerged as one of the fastest-growing banks in the U.S. and has steadily been adding to its teams since 2020.

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Based in Atlanta, Yamaato will manage the company’s Client Experience, Digital Transformation, Deposit Operations, Facilities Management, Human Resources, Information Technology, Loaning Servicing, Operational Strategy and Efficiency, Product Management and Program Management Office.

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Prior to joining Fieldpoint, Yamaato’s SunTrust (now Truist) career included a variety of leadership roles including head of Private Wealth Management Operations, responsible for modernizing the firm’s operations, and Head of Consumer Banking Operations. Most recently, Yamaato served as the head of Truist’s Merger Program Office, leading the successful merger of SunTrust and BB&T.

Wellspring Living is the second program in the nation to be awarded a Gold Certification from the national Safe House Certification Review Board, led by Safe House Project. Wellspring Living is a non-profit organization in Atlanta, Georgia that provides domestic sex trafficking victims and those at risk with specialized recovery services through residential and community-based programs.

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Through a six-stage certification process, Wellspring Living's residential and community programs were evaluated against established standards for management, governance, financials, and operations. Final certification was determined by a third-party review board comprised of industry experts.

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According to Safe House Project, safe homes awarded a Gold certification have demonstrated their success in providing ethical, safe, therapeutic, well resourced, and sustainable residential programming to survivors while meeting best-practices in survivor care as established through empirical research and survivor input.

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Sara Beth-Evans, a member of the site visit review team for Safe House Certification praised the program. "As a survivor of sex trafficking victimized both as a minor and as an adult, I have seen the impact that can have first-hand. Wellspring Living provides comprehensive, trauma and survivor-informed services to adult and minor survivors that plays a significant role in their healing and overcoming the trauma they have endured," said Evans. "Every staff member I met at Wellspring Living treats the residents with the utmost respect and care, making them feel safe and valued. Wellspring Living is making a real impact in the lives of trafficking survivors, offering the services they need and deserve."

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Mary Frances Bowley, the Executive Director of Wellspring Living celebrated the certification. "Wellspring Living is thrilled to have received gold level certification through the Safe House Project. For over 21 years, we have continually strived to provide the very best for survivors in our care," said Bowley. "We wholeheartedly believe that this certification is essential in providing clarity on the standards and best practices needed to serve survivors in the most comprehensive, trauma-informed, and survivor-focused way possible. We are honored to be partnering with the Safe House Project on this initiative, which will benefit countless survivors."

BOX Pure Air ("BPA") subsidiary of SinglePoint Inc. (OTC:SING) is pleased to announce Highland Park Independent School District selecting BOX Pure Air to support efforts to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) throughout the school district. The implementation includes AIRBOX™ units (48 Mesa units, 72 Peak units, 29 Apex 2.0 units) and the filters needed for the next year. BOX Pure Air supplies tried and true, portable, Certified HEPA filtration units.

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Highland Park Independent School District has 886 students enrolled across three schools on the campus. This deployment entails the placement of air purification units in each of these schools, along with enough filters to last until the following year. Highland Park is purchasing 149 AIRBOX™ units to provide healthier indoor air for its students and staff. Opting for a full implementation, the elementary, middle, and high schools that make up Highland Park's campus will have units in various spaces, from classrooms to administrative offices and gymnasiums.

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Ryan Cowell, CEO BOX Pure Air, said, "We are excited to work with Highland Park in their effort to improve IAQ on their campus. By selecting BOX Pure Air, we believe Highland School shows its commitment to implementing an effective indoor air quality improvement solution across the entire school's campus. We have had multiple orders in Texas, and we believe this will open the doors to many additional orders throughout the state. This full implementation demonstrates the validity and credibility of BOX Pure Air."

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Cowell added, "We have made significant progress through multiple markets and our teams focused, diligent effort is resulting in significant sales. We expect to see most of our efforts reflect in Q3 and into Q4 of 2022 as schools prepare for students and teachers to return this upcoming 2022 - 2023 school year. Highland Park made the best decision a school can make related to improving indoor air quality throughout their campus, fully implementing portable air purification units where needed not just within classrooms, administration offices but all common areas including large spaces specifically gymnasiums, cafeteria's and libraries, which will utilize the industry leading APEX 2.0."

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This purchase order to improve indoor air quality throughout the schools was made possible through funding provided by the ESSER III Grant. The grant was distributed to public school districts in Texas to improve overall health and safety. These funds were authorized in the American Rescue Plan (ARP), and are available to schools until the end of September 2024. Highland Park has taken full advantage of this opportunity and wisely invested its grant money into a clean indoor air quality solution that will last for years to come.

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Two people instrumental in commencing this implementation include Ray Cogburn and Jimmy Hannon. Mr. Cogburn is the former executive director of Region 16 schools in Texas, which includes Amarillo, and Mr. Hannon is the superintendent of Highland Park Independent School District. Through their assistance, BOX Pure Air was able to develop a full-school Safe Air Plan.

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There are many solutions being explored to help improve indoor air quality. BOX Pure Air continues to be on the forefront of exploring these new technologies. Through research and following industry studies the company has remained steadfast to date that Certified HEPA filtration is currently the best solution to improve indoor air quality along with improved ventilation where possible. Many parties are exploring ionization technology as an alternative option as ionization is advertised to destroy harmful particles. In doing so, it also releases ozone and hydrogen peroxide into the air, which can be dangerous as OSHA has set daily limit thresholds of exposure to both chemicals. Current research suggests Ionization has little to no impact on removing respiratory aerosols from the breathing zone, which should be the primary focus for creating healthy air.

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Mr. Cogburn commented, "Many schools I've talked with are looking into ionization as a potential air solution. I understand the appeal from a cost perspective, but I always advise them to take the route of Certified HEPA air purification. It's proven to work, safer than ionization. Any administrator I talk with that is hesitant about investing in HEPA, I encourage them to look at the BOX Pure Air solution because it does check all the boxes."

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BOX Pure Air anticipates the delivery and installation of the 149 units to begin immediately to ensure everything is in place when students return in August. Highland Park's decision to invest in air purification across the entire campus shows its commitment to the health and wellbeing of its students and staff and should be commended. They will undoubtedly be the most prepared school in their region to deal with issues such as airborne viruses, allergies, wildfire smoke, and more.

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With Federal funding readily available, BOX Pure Air is excited to continue working with school districts in the state of Texas and elsewhere to provide high-quality, Certified HEPA air purification solutions. With roughly two months until the 2022-23 school year, BPA expects to see more districts following the lead of Highland Park and taking steps to improve their indoor air quality. Both the CDC and White House have stressed indoor ventilation as a potent weapon in the battle to contain COVID. Congress has approved billions in funding for public and private schools that can be used to improve indoor air quality including $13 billion for schools in the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; an additional $54 billion approved in December 2020 for schools' use; and $122 billion for schools from the 2021 American Rescue Plan ("ARP"). Funds from the ARP are available for schools to use until the end of September 2024.

NextGen Healthcare, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXGN), a leading provider of innovative, cloud-based healthcare technology solutions, today announced findings of an independent study it commissioned with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) on their journey to deliver quality care to the underserved. The study, conducted by Porter Research on behalf of NextGen Healthcare, garnered data from more than 50 clinical, operational and financial leaders at mid- to large-size FQHCs across the United States. The goal was to better understand the needs of FQHCs as they navigate common pressure points including: workforce shortages, increasing regulatory requirements, expansion of Medicaid, increased variability of patient populations, growth in services, and rapidly evolving payment models.

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In the study, more than 83% of FQHCs reported they are fiercely committed to remaining independent of hospital affiliation. Additionally, 72% of participants said they are willing to work with like-minded organizations, including other FQHCs, to attain insight and pool data. The survey results indicate that FQHCs see a critical need to work together to improve health outcomes in communities across the U.S.

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“NextGen Healthcare understands the mission of FQHCs and is wholly committed to assisting these community lifelines in retaining their independence,” said David Sides, president and chief executive officer of NextGen Healthcare. “By providing tools that facilitate data sharing, trend analysis and planning, we are already partnering with centers across the country as they transition to the new realities of caring for patients.”

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NextGen Healthcare launched the NextGen Community Health Collaborative (NCHC) late last year to create an avenue by which FQHCs can come together. This first-of-its-kind program will offer data benchmarking, comparative analytics and reporting services, and is driven by its members to connect and share best practices to advance the mission of community health.

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“It’s essential that FQHCs work together more closely,” said Doug Smith, executive vice president of Presbyterian Medical Services, an FQHC and NextGen Healthcare client. “With greater collaboration, we can better share best practices and approaches to important initiatives like social determinants of health, adverse childhood experiences, chronic condition management, and expanding care service lines.”

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The full results of the study will be shared during a webinar titled “The Perfect Storm: Why FQHCs Must Choose Wisely in 2022,” to be held today at 1 p.m. EST. Click here for more information and to register.

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Key highlights of the session include:

- The importance of integrated, whole-person care
- Collaboration and data pooling to tackle health inequities
- Understanding the resources available to FQHCs and how to employ them
- Reducing provider burden and burnout through improved workflows and planning

Noble Investment Group ("Noble") today announced the acquisition of the Hilton Garden Inn Boise | Downtown, capping more than $1.0 billion of investment activity over the past year.

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Boise is the Pacific Northwest's third most populous region behind Seattle and Portland, known for its combination of urban lifestyle and outdoor adventure. The city is rapidly growing due to its affordability and quality of life, ranking No. 1 on Indeed's list of cities with the fastest job growth and among Forbes list of Fastest-Growing City in America. The city is home to three Fortune 500 companies, Albertsons, Inc., Boise Cascade, and Micron Technology Inc., as well as numerous corporate headquarters, including the Simplot World Headquarters, one block from the hotel.

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Downtown Boise is a vibrant, walkable district with nearly four million square feet of office space, more than one hundred shops and restaurants, and art and history museums. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Boise, providing easy access to the city's numerous leisure and business demand generators, including the Idaho State Capitol, Boise State University, Jack's Urban Meeting Place, Idaho Central Arena, and the Boise Centre.

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"The Boise market demonstrates the key macro trends we are looking for in cities which we believe will outperform as we enter a new lodging cycle," said Dustin Fisher, Noble's senior vice president. "This acquisition aligns with our strategy to acquire high-quality, well-located assets in growth markets poised to benefit from the ongoing recovery in travel."

Edge Tradeworks, an innovative platform designed to address the demand for a more efficient, transparent and profitable way to trade whole loans, today announced a new strategic investor: FTX Ventures. This investment is part of their ongoing theme of investing in platforms that deliver transparency and liquidity to opaque markets.

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John Roberts, Co-Founder & CEO of Edge Tradeworks, commented on the news, "We are excited to announce that Sam Bankman-Fried has invested with us. Sam and his team built FTX, one of the most successful cryptocurrency platforms in the world. He is a believer in using technology to deliver transparency, fairness, liquidity and performance. Sam believes we are well positioned to profit from the coming changes that digitization and blockchain will bring to the loan management process and to the banking business."

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This investment is the latest in a series of FTX investments focused on firms in the financial industry that leverage technology to re-envision financial services making them accessible to the average person. Edge Tradeworks is finalizing a Series A round that will accelerate market expansion and will drive growth in both the loan trading and analytics subscription components of its platform. In addition, FTX Venture's investment fortifies the Company's plans to integrate blockchain technology into their product offerings.

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Sam Bankman-Fried, Co-Founder & CEO of FTX, added, "The loan management and banking market is definitely a business that will be disrupted and fundamentally changed by technology. That's why I'm excited to invest in a firm that has been leading the charge when it comes to digitizing the consumer and commercial loan markets as a way to improve transparency and increase liquidity."

COMSovereign Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: COMS) ("COMSovereign" or the "Company"), a U.S.-based developer of 4G LTE Advanced and 5G Communication Systems and Solutions today announced that it has been selected for a contract award by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST"), Shared Spectrum Metrology Group for a 5G ORAN-FlexRAN system.

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This initial NIST Shared Spectrum Metrology Group ("NIST SSMG") award valued at $199,400 comes after a competitive review of submissions by vendors for a complete, working end-to-end 5G Open RAN 5G system. Under the public request for Proposal ("RFP") process, the NIST SSMG sought a high performance 5G core (5GC) and 5G handset (UE) in addition to the Open RAN base station supporting the feature sets outlined in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) release 15 and Open RAN 1.0 standards.

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"We wish to congratulate our team for being selected for this award which is especially gratifying because it comes after a competitive performance review against solutions provided by multiple vendors," said Dr. Dustin McIntire, Chief Technology Officer of COMSovereign. "This award is further validation of our technology capabilities and the performance of our 5G ORAN system which continues to be recognized by organizations in government, academic research and commercial markets."

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COMSovereign's 5G O-RAN technology is a fully standards-compliant wireless network solution designed to provide reliable, high-performance communications in a small form factor that can be deployed in a wide array of markets including military, public safety, secure private and commercial sectors. Use case scenarios may also include ship to shore, in-flight 5G, sub-surface communications as well as providing 5G backhaul for Geostationary ("GEO") and Low Earth Orbit ("LEO") satellite constellations.